Spring is known for being a time of increased incidence of forest and wildfires because the trees, grasses and other plants are dry or dead from winter desiccation. Additionally, climate change is a factor in more frequent wildfires.
Installing the right kind of plants growing near your home can mean the difference between saving and losing your home to a wildfire. For example, a conifer tree that has a lot of dead lower branches or built-up needles on the ground can “torch” during a wildfire. If that tree were growing next to your home, it could ignite your house from both proximity and fire brands drifting from the burning plant.
Grasses
- Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii))
- Sedges (Carex bicknellii, C. pensylvanica, C. siccata, and others)
- Fall witch grass (Digitaria cognata)
- Purple love grass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
- June grass (Koeleria macrantha)
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Flowering plant
- Pussytoes (Antennaria howellii and A. parlinii)
- Milkweeds (Asclepias amplexicaulis, A. tuberosa, A. verticillata, A. viridiflora, and others)
- Sand coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
- Frostweeds (Crocanthemum bicknellii and C. canadense)
- Tick-trefoils (Desmodium spp.)
- Flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata)
- Woodland and western sunflowers (Helianthus divaricatus, H. occidentalis )
- Bush-clovers (Lespedeza capitata, L. frutescens, L. hirta, L. violacea, and L. virginica)
- Blazing star (Liatris aspera, L. cylindracea, L. scariosa)
- Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis)
- Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa)
- Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis)
- Goldenrods (Solidago caesia, S. juncea, S. nemoralis, S. rigida, and S. speciosa)
- Asters (Symphyotrichum laeve, S. oolentangiense, and S. pilosum)
- Common spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
Shrubs
- Serviceberry (Amelanchier interior)
- Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)
- Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
- New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
- Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina)
- Dogwoods (Cornus spp.)
- Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)
- American plum (Prunus americana)
- Sumac (Rhus copallina)
- Low sweet blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Trees
- Serviceberries (Amelanchier arborea and A. laevis)
- Pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
- Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
- Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.)
- Black cherry (Prunus serotina)
- White oak (Quercus alba)
- Northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)
- Black oak (Quercus velutina)
- Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Good housekeeping in your gardens can help a great deal in preventing the spread of wildfires, but starting with the right plant and having an eye for its fire resistance can help to protect to your home in the event that a wildfire occurs near where you live.
This article was published by
Michigan State University Extension
